YoYo Related News From Around The World
Korean player Cha Dam Dae tears it up in this new video for sOMETHING. His style still seems really young and underdeveloped, but he’s already got a tremendous amount of skill. Plus, he leads off with a frontstyle combo…which hardly anyone does anymore.
Look out for great things from Cha Dam Dae!
Everything about this video is just too damn good. Seriously.
Chase did the song for the video, too, which you can listen to on his Soundcloud page, or buy (support the artist!) on his Bandcamp page.
Innovation Movement pulls more talent from Russia…amazing. Heads up though, the music is NSFW.
After the recent release of YoYoJam’s Theory video the next question was when is this yo-yo dropping?! Well YoYoJam has finally released details on this very cool new metal yo-yo!
The new Theory officially releases on January 31st!
The recommended Retail is $73.00 but it may be slightly cheaper when finally available online.
Specifications:
Weight: 68.94 grams
OD: 55.89 mm
Width: 40.39 mm
This is a huge first for YoYoJam! Theory is a true budget aluminum Yo-Yo that performs with the best. Cutting edge shape and an innovative all in one lateral cap design means this Yo-Yo is built to help make a powerful statement when you play. As with all YoYoJam yo-yos Theory is proudly made right the USA and we challenge you to find one that plays this well at this price!
What trick are you working on? Chances are the Theory can help you get there. You will be amazed by how well you will learn advanced tricks and slick new moves. It spins dead smooth and unresponsive out of the box with a large YoYoJam SPEED bearing and silicone o-ring response.
Machined to perfection from high quality 6061 aluminum it features a grooved record like finish for a neat look and feel. The shape boasts extreme rim weight designed to help give super long spin times.
Theory not only spins amazingly well but also features a slick celcon cap with design elements similar to the innovative lateral caps, allowing advanced players to balance the Yo-Yo spinning on a thumbnail for long periods of time. Also possible are new regens and hand starts as seen on the official Theory video.
True in fact and theory this is a Yo-Yo that is capable of taking you to that next level.
And if you missed the video here it is again!
I started playing fixed axle as a middle finger to the people who said bearings were cheating. I thought there was little reason to throw fixed otherwise. It was proof to the haters that my technique was sound and they picked the wrong person to challenge. For awhile, I was content with being able to pull off the advanced classics on wood; split the atom, barrel rolls, double or nothing with roll away dismount. One day I saw a video of someone using all their might to barely pull off Kamikaze on a wood yo-yo. The yo-yo was spinning so slow you could read the letters on the foil logo as the last of breath of spin exhaled onto the palm of his hand.
I was hooked.
First, Kamikaze was a relatively new trick at the time and it was unthinkable for a modern trick to be done on such old tech. But there it was. An Expert level trick, for its time, done on a yo-yo fit for an attic. It was the first time I had really found enjoyment in what was essentially playing yo-yo with a handicap. Yo-Yo design wasn’t anywhere near what it is today, but the top of the line products were still far and away better than the laminated one piece wood yo-yo from years past.
It became a personal challenge to see what I could do on one of those old things. There was a sense of enjoyment in the minute details of tricks I took for granted on my bearing yo-yos. Magic Drops became moments of intense concentration and had to be handled with the utmost gentleness while Suicides took their namesake to new heights. Landing a trick on fixed felt like getting an S rank in Street Fighter or completing the Master Quest. You were playing yo-yo: hard mode.
The lure of fixed axle play wasn’t just in the accomplishment of the trick itself. It was also in that this was possible all along. Those old Duncan demonstrators in sepia photographs could have been doing Double Suicides too. Imagination swirled around you as dry cotton string slowly singed your axle. To walk up to one of those 50’s corner contests, DeLorean safely hidden away, armed with this knowledge and the confidence these tricks were possible. You’d surely show up the pro, serving him on his own turf. Actually, that might of gotten you stabbed back then…
Now, in 2013, yo-yos are the best they have ever been, easier to use than ever before. There is no need for fixed axle yo-yos. There hasn’t been for a long time. Even the basic entry level yo-yo has a bearing and yet some keep coming back to fixed. Instead of going the way of the 8-track it seems wood is aging like vinyl LPs. The temperamental material and ritualistic care all become part of the experience. A type of experience where shortcomings become a charming nuisance. The fulfillment isn’t just in the grooves or the trick, but also the brushing of dust and pulling a string through a fresh axle.
It’s easy to romanticize the past or dismiss nostalgia as a clouding the vision of the future. When I play fixed, the future isn’t what’s on my mind nor is there a yearning for a simpler time. I’m too caught up in a trick, a moment, to care about anything deeper. I’m not giving a middle finger to anyone or any idea. It’s for my own enjoyment, my own amusement.
It took evolution in technology to show us how some things were already possible with what we already had; if we just threw a little straighter, a little harder, thought a little crazier. We obsess over the endless possibilities in modern yo-yoing. Sometimes It’s fun to share that sentiment again with a simpler version of a toy none of us can seem to put down for very long.
